Thread: Where to start?

Guys, been straight razor shaving for a little while now and have a bunch and want to start the task or honing myself.

Don't want to hack up my good blades, looking for a recommendation for good ones to practice on. Not sure if getting some $6 specials on ebay will even hone right or if the best entry level one just to learn on even if it doesn't hold an edge well is something cheaper like a golden dollar.

Then any special youtube videos or references you guys have. Just looking to touch up after pasting isn't enough. I figure restoration should come later.

I would personally not recommended honing a gold dollar. They can have a number of issues that in my opinion is a waste of stone. I believe you are better off finding a vintage one either one with hone wear or even a decent one and learn with that. I'd find something that if you mess up you won't be attached to and if you get it honed then bonus you have a shaver
You will make mistakes along the way and that is ok. Just take your time and tape the spine so there is no Un necessary wear there. Watch as many videos as you can and ask questions, if you get stuck or frustrated put the blade down and revisit in a couple of days. Good luck and this is only my 2 cents I'm sure other will have better opinions or more sound advice for ya

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I have never had a gold dollar, but they would be an economical razor to practice on. However, an antique store special is more of what I would recommend. Simply because the edge retention would be longer from what I have heard. Make sure to check on here before you purchase a blade, you will get an honest opinion of whether the razor is savable.

A good start is also to refresh a razor with your finishing hone.

As far as tips go, use tape to minimize hone wear. Get a 60x or higher microscope from amazon, especially for uber tiny bevels. I learned most of what I know from reading posts, watch glen's(gssixgun) and lynn's videos on honing.

Yup, agree, the Gold Dollars will teach you how to repair Gold Dollars.

Pick up an EBay special, find one with the least spine wear, no rust and no chips or cracks, with intact scales. There are tons of no-name, nice razors that fit the bill under 10 bucks.

If you use tape on the spine with some decent stones, Nortons or Naniwia, you really only need a 1k, 3 or 4k and an 8k, and go slow, you will not ruin the razor and will end up with a shaver.

If money is an issue, a King 1k and a 4/8k Norton or 3/8k Naniwia combo stone, and you are set for under $100.

Additionally, for about $20-30 you can pick up a USB scope, post picks of the edge progress, and we can walk you through the whole process, step by step. Or find a local mentor for some hands-on honing.

Here is a good post of a fellow member doing just that. Second Try at Honing, with great micrographs and documenting honing his razor, from beginning to successful end.

I think the fastest and easiest way to learn is in person. A meet or a mentor are the best. You can start with touching up blades and move on to more complex honing later. Also
Tape is your friend at least until you get a good grasp on what you are doing. One of the really confusing things is there are many paths to the perfect edge, but you can only follow one path at a time. Pick one person who you feel has a good presentation and is a well know honer. I went with Gssixgun many people have also followed Lynn, there are others, those are the two that get the most recommendations. There are a lot of members in Florida so maybe someone will volunteer to help out.
P.S.
I started with top quality razors from known maker in very good condition and did not destroy a single razor, with care caution and tape it is possible.

Agree with RezDog on picking one person to guide you. I cobbled together my honing from several different sources. I watched videos for a year before any success came my way. I think the most important milestone in the beginning is recognizing when the bevel is set. Learn that and you will be on your way.

Literally the easiest way is to buy a vintage razor for under $20, and a 12k quarter hone from Whipped Dog for $15. Get someone else to hone it for you and then maintain it yourself.

You can get a Norton 4k/8k if you want to do it all yourself from the beginning. It's just practice after that.

If you look at the pictures carefully you can avoid pits, chips, rust, cracks. You can buy a decent razor for under $20 so why buy a crappy one for under $20.

I wouldn't buy a Gold Dollar though. You will just spend time trying to correct the stabilizer and why? You can get a decent vintage for the same money.

I would not recommend a factory Gold Dollar with which to begin honing. However, you can buy them from hobbyists who have corrected the basic geometry and honed them for $20-ish, and those would be fine. They're not that much fun to shave with though compared to better built razors.

Even a corrected one will likely have an overground heel, but that is not uncommon even among decent razors (overground centers are fairly common too). A lot of them smile. But if you're going to hone razors, you have to learn to deal with common razor grinding imperfections. I have a fist full of Gold Dollars (see what I did there?) that I use for test razors and the ones with decent geometry and straight(er) edges are about 20% of them.

But there are some advantages to learning to hone on a corrected Gold Dollar. Being a heavy razor with a heavy grind, a Gold Dollar is also less sensitive to too much pressure, which almost every new honer applies I believe. And considering the bevel angle is always too steep, you don't need to worry about spinewear, a thinner spine is actually a good thing.

I would advise that you not begin with a wedge or full hollow razor since hollow edges flex quite easily and wedges may need layers of tape. Once you can get a good edge on a half- or quarter-hollow blade, then you can take on grinds that require lighter pressure or a different technique.

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by gcbryan

Literally the easiest way is to buy a vintage razor for under $20, and a 12k quarter hone from Whipped Dog for $15. Get someone else to hone it for you and then maintain it yourself.

If you by a "12k quarter hone," you will be handicapping yourself with a hone that is too small for a beginner. Spend the $26 for a 2" wide hone or the $40 on a 3" wide version at Woodcraft. It's not a 12k hone, since it's a natural rock, but the majority of them are decent finishing/maintenance hones.

Originally Posted by Utopian

If you by a "12k quarter hone," you will be handicapping yourself with a hone that is too small for a beginner. Spend the $26 for a 2" wide hone or the $40 on a 3" wide version at Woodcraft. It's not a 12k hone, since it's a natural rock, but the majority of them are decent finishing/maintenance hones.

I would have to agree with Utopian, I have 1/4 Norton and that is what I still use and learned with but a full size stone would be much easier. I missed that the first time I read your post. Go with a wider stone or frustration will be high.

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